All Part of the Plan
God has a plan for your life. He works through all things, at all times to bring salvation to the world in and through you.
“His brothers couldn’t answer him; for they were terrified at his presence. Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” They came near. He said, “I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. Now don’t be grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life ...So now it wasn’t you who sent me here, but God, and he has made me a father to Pharaoh, Lord of all his house, and ruler over all the land of Egypt."
Genesis 45:3-5, 7-8, 28
Could you imagine thinking like Joseph? How could he forgive his brothers and maintain a heart of gratitude through all he had endured? He chose to look at life not by what was happening to him, but what God would do through him.
Do I think like Joseph? Am I focused on the tests I am experiencing or do I believe God is preparing me to have a powerful testimony?
“In your majesty ride on victoriously on behalf of truth, humility, and righteousness...Your throne, God, is forever and ever."
Psalms 45:4, 6-7, 15
We think in terms of days and weeks. God works in nations and generations. His plans are greater, his perspective higher, and in the end His is the victory. How could it help you today to know that God has a plan to make tomorrow better?
“He brought me to the banquet hall. His banner over me is love...For behold, the winter is past. The rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth."
Song of Solomon 2:4, 10-12
God made hopeful signs are all around us. In the midst of winter, we can know that the dark days do not last. When storms are all around us, a time will come where flowers bloom. Wisdom tells us that both the times that are easy and the times that are hard will pass. What season of life are you in? How could God's love bring more hope to your life?
“I will go before you and make the rough places smooth. I will break the doors of bronze in pieces and cut apart the bars of iron...Look to me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other...The word has gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and will not be revoked, that to me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall take an oath.”
Isaiah 45:2, 8, 17, 22-23
One of the promises of God is not just that He will be with you, but that He will go before you. He prepares the way for us to have peace in our lives and peace with Him. Joseph could see how God prepared the way as he looked back on the road he had traveled.
God wants to take us further. He knows we will see His hand upon us as we looked back. He wants to teach us to walk in faith and trust that He is working ahead.
“The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and shall name him ‘Jesus.’ He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High...There will be no end to his Kingdom.” Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord...For he who is mighty has done great things for me. Holy is his name...He has filled the hungry with good things...because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the dawn from on high will visit us, to shine on those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death; to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
Luke 1:13-14, 16, 19, 26-27, 30-33, 46-50, 53, 67-68, 74-75, 77-79
Jesus fulfilled anywhere from forty to three hundred messianic prophecies. The statistical odds of this happening are beyond calculation. He is the messiah, God's personal invitation to salvation and relationship. What does that mean for you and for me? We can have confidence that the God who began a good work in you will carry it to completion. He will make the way, He will turn pain into purpose, He will restore the broken, resurrect the dead, and welcome home those who have wandered off.
God wants to take off the limits and boundaries that we have placed on Him. In His kingdom, virgins can give birth, the humble are exalted, the hungry are fed, and sinners are restored. The God who created the heavens and the earth is not bound by the natural laws of science, space, or time. The question is not what has happened to you. Rather, it is how will you praise God as He does the miraculous for and through you?